DiversL
Registered
hello everyone! i'm currently contemplating between the 5mm Bare Celliant or the 5mm Scubapro Definition wetsuit... what do you guys think?
BARE or Scubapro wetsuit?
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I have two Bare wetsuits (3mm & 5mm). Although not the Celliant/Reactive (was not available at the time), I chose Bare over a comparable quality Scubapro wetsuit because of the much greater number of available sizes in Bare. Compare the sizing charts for both manufacturers on Leisure Pro or Scuba.com. I had tried SP wetsuits for fit, but found the size I needed in chest and waist was too long in the legs, and just did not fit me well overall. I chose a Bare size that looked right for me based on the sizing chart, and it was a perfect fit right out of the box. Assuming a good fit on your body, I suspect both the Celliant/Reactive and the Dimension are very close in thermal properties. As you know, the fit is the key to keeping as warm as possible with the wetsuit material selected.
JamesBon92007
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elbig
Contributor
Simply put the Bare fit me better than SP so no contest.
SP suits are great but the only issue with them is that they run small. They appear to be made for the much slimmer Italian/Euro types not the prosperously sized Americans or Middle Easterners 
You need to try the suit on in person first and not rely on their size chart. They run 1 - 2 sizes too small for me.
At end, they are great suits, you just need to try them on in person to find the size that fits you and not depend on the size chart.
You need to try the suit on in person first and not rely on their size chart. They run 1 - 2 sizes too small for me.At end, they are great suits, you just need to try them on in person to find the size that fits you and not depend on the size chart.
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DiversL
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What about the insulating factor?
I would get whichever one fits better. If you are able to get a good fit with either, then I would go with a ScubaPro EverFlex. I believe the EverFlex is warmer than the Definition. The "fleece-like" lining in the Definition only covers the torso area. The DiamondSpan in the EverFlex covers almost the whole body. I'm not convinced that the "infrared" mumbo jumbo (in the Definition or the Bare suits) really is any better than, just for example, the DiamondSpan in the EverFlex. But, I DO believe that having a bigger area of coverage of the fleece inside the suit does make a difference.
I would choose either over the Bare just because of the number of issues I have heard of with the Bare zipper. I asked one of my shop owners what he thinks about the reports on the Bare Reactive zippers. He has at least one Reactive suit of his own. He said that the problem is that the Bare suit is so stretchy that if you don't zip it up very carefully - and especially if you try to zip it up by yourself - the zipper tends to catch on the flap underneath or something and it starts tearing stuff up. He said if you always get someone to zip you up and they do it with just a bit of care, then it would be fine. When I dived in Hawaii 2 years ago, one of the DMs I went out with had a Reactive suit and his main zipper was broken. He was the first one that told me about zipper problems. He said a number of the pros at his shop had gone to the Reactive suit and a bunch of them had had problems with the main zipper. He had gotten his back together so that it worked as long as you didn't zip it down all the way. Then it would come apart again. Sucked for him that day because somebody went to help him zip up and pulled it apart. He dived for the day with his back unzipped.
All my wetsuits are ScubaPro EverFlex suits, but mine are older and don't have the DiamondSpan lining like the new ones. They have good seals at the wrists, ankles, neck, and behind the zipper, though, and they fit me well (though they DO run small - I wear XL in everything else and XXL in ScubaPro), so mine have been very warm, for me. I am generally comfy in my EverFlex 3/2 suit down to about 70F water temp, for a day or two of single tank diving (2 per day).
I also have a pair of the new ScubaPro HD 6.5 boots with the DiamondSpan lining in them and they are really warm and comfy. I kind of wish my 5/4 suit would give out so I would have an excuse to get one of the new ones with DiamondSpan.
I would choose either over the Bare just because of the number of issues I have heard of with the Bare zipper. I asked one of my shop owners what he thinks about the reports on the Bare Reactive zippers. He has at least one Reactive suit of his own. He said that the problem is that the Bare suit is so stretchy that if you don't zip it up very carefully - and especially if you try to zip it up by yourself - the zipper tends to catch on the flap underneath or something and it starts tearing stuff up. He said if you always get someone to zip you up and they do it with just a bit of care, then it would be fine. When I dived in Hawaii 2 years ago, one of the DMs I went out with had a Reactive suit and his main zipper was broken. He was the first one that told me about zipper problems. He said a number of the pros at his shop had gone to the Reactive suit and a bunch of them had had problems with the main zipper. He had gotten his back together so that it worked as long as you didn't zip it down all the way. Then it would come apart again. Sucked for him that day because somebody went to help him zip up and pulled it apart. He dived for the day with his back unzipped.
All my wetsuits are ScubaPro EverFlex suits, but mine are older and don't have the DiamondSpan lining like the new ones. They have good seals at the wrists, ankles, neck, and behind the zipper, though, and they fit me well (though they DO run small - I wear XL in everything else and XXL in ScubaPro), so mine have been very warm, for me. I am generally comfy in my EverFlex 3/2 suit down to about 70F water temp, for a day or two of single tank diving (2 per day).
I also have a pair of the new ScubaPro HD 6.5 boots with the DiamondSpan lining in them and they are really warm and comfy. I kind of wish my 5/4 suit would give out so I would have an excuse to get one of the new ones with DiamondSpan.
alexusa1
New
I can personally confirm the zipper issue with the Bare Reactive. Had maybe 25 dives on the first one before zipper completely malfunctioned. Bare was great and replaced it with no issues. Had maybe 20 dives on replacement suit before zipper malfunctioned again (decided to just have someone else zip and unzip for me until I could return it). Additionally, the Bare Reactive neoprene was almost completely compressed after my last dive trip. To make matters worse, the material they use to compress the suit at the wrist also is very poor and is already tearing. I will be returning this suit to Bare. The one plus is that for a 3mm suit, it is very warm.
Don't know anything about the BARE Reactive, but I absolutely love my BARE Velocity 5mm. It has to be the most comfortable, yet supportive wetsuit I have ever used in over three decades of diving. Have you considered another BARE product?
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